"The only real education comes from what goes counter to you."

Andre Gide

 

Unfortunately, due to the intermittent nature of information on the internet some links provided within the body of our newsletters may no longer be functioning. We apologize for the inconvenience.

September 2005

Contents

1. Believe
2. Question of the Month
3. Fitness Corner
4. Health News
5. Office Happenings

Believe

If you have ever visited my office, especially during the Tour de France, you will have noticed that I am a Lance Armstrong fan. I really admire what he has been able to accomplish as an athlete and the work he has done with cancer and cancer survivors. For those of you who don’t follow cycling, he has won the Tour an unprecedented 7 times. It is considered the premier race in pro cycling. He did this after recovering from cancer. He also started a cancer foundation that supports people with cancer and has raised over $55 million for further research from one project alone.

The reason I am a fan is because of what his achievements stand for. It’s a belief that through hard work, perseverance and the bigness of the human spirit, amazing and seemingly impossible things can be accomplished. A belief in that life is meant to be extraordinary and that one person can make a difference. It makes me believe we all could be great. Unfortunately, his story is a rarity these days.

Recently his record and integrity have come under fire. Throughout his career he has said that he never used performance-enhancing drugs to help him win. He has never tested positive on any of the drug tests he has taken. Now a French newspaper says that some of his urine samples taken in 1999 are positive for EPO, a banned drug on the pro cycling tour. Since the evidence is sketchy and Lance has retired, there is no conclusive proof whether he doped or not. What it has done is plant seeds of doubt that potentially could destroy his reputation and accomplishments.

There is someone who recently achieved something that reconfirms our belief in the greatness of humans. Scott McDermott, whose newsletter is a part of this one, completed the Ironman Canada triathlon at the end of August. He started training a year ago to complete a half-Ironman race and ended up finishing a full race in less than 12 hours. That is an incredible time for someone in his first Ironman on a very challenging course on a hot day.

How did he do it? Hard work, perseverance and the bigness of the human spirit. Scott hired a coach, put the time in, ate well, took care of himself (got adjusted, massaged, took supplements) and he did it. He absolutely did it. Another example of what is possible if we do the work and believe we can be greater. Go ahead, believe!

Question of the Month

What are the origins of chiropractic care?

Chiropractic care was founded by a man named D. D. Palmer in Davenport, Iowa on September 17, 1895. Palmer was an alternative healer at the time, a janitor in the building where he worked told him that he had gone deaf after feeling something move in his spine. D. D. Palmer examined his spine and felt that one vertebra was not aligned to the next. He thought that this might be the cause of problem and adjusted that area. Hearing was restored to the janitor and the birth of a profession took place. Although most people think of chiropractic care as something for back pain, it’s origin and power today lie in the affect it has on overall health and well-being. Happy 110th birthday! 

Fitness Corner

Scott McDermott writes a monthly newsletter about health and fitness issues. Scott is a unique individual in that he changed his life and health around completely, is the owner of a gym, an author and a recent finisher of the Ironman Canada triathlon with a fantastic time (Congratulations Scott!!!). He is well read but also has done the work personally so he knows from what he speaks. To sign up for his free newsletter, send an email to mybestbody@shaw.ca.

Health News

Delayed ear tube surgery does not delay development

For years there has been a concern that fluid in a child’s ear may delay language and speech development. As a result, guidelines recommended that tubes be inserted in the ears sooner rather than later to help with drainage. However, a new study released by the New England Journal of Medicine is saying the opposite. http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/527355/main.html

A doctor involved with the study said his advice in regards to tubes would be “Don’t just do something, sit there.” The study showed that children catch up very quickly to speech and language development even if there was a slight hearing loss due to fluid build up in the ears. This study echoes the article mentioned in the April 2004 newsletter regarding how to approach ear infections.

Tylenol use linked to high blood pressure in women

The American Heart Association Journal Hypertension reported the daily use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, doubles a woman’s risk of high blood pressure. They found that women between the ages of 51-77 taking just one extra-strength Tylenol per day double their risk. Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8961817/

Although things like Tylenol and other over-the-counter pain relievers are thought to be very safe, there are risks associated with them. There can be many causes of high blood pressure and this is one that needs to be noticed so that it is easier to get to the root of the problem. 

Office Happenings

1. Wellness Orientation Workshops. Are you a bit bewildered about what I do when I check and adjust your spine? Would you like to introduce a friend or family member to our office with out them committing to care? Join us on Monday September 12 or Wednesday September 21 at 5:30 p.m. in the office for answers to those and many other questions that will help you achieve higher levels of health. 

2. Scheduling Appointments. Our office policy is to be as accommodating as we can in regard to appointments. Scheduled appointments are taken first and walks-in are given priority after the scheduled ones. Our goal is to get you on your way as quickly as possible. However with new patients more time is need to properly care for them. Therefore an advance booking is needed and about 1 hour of their time. Please consider this when recommending us to others. 

3. Office Hours. Here are our office hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:00 to 12:30 and 2:00 to 5:30, Tuesday 8:00 to 12:30 and Thursday 1:00 to 7:30 pm.

4. Office Closure. The office will be closed on Monday September 5 for Labour Day. We will re-open Tuesday morning for our regular hours. Have a great long weekend.